Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 259

259.

“When were you born, anyway? Why are you so big?”

“I don’t know. I just became like this a moment ago.”

“Just now? So you weren’t originally like this?”

At my question, the boy, no, Asmodel, slowly nodded. He raised one hand and pointed to his waist.

“About this big…?”

“You were that big when you were first born?”

“First? Ah, first. Um, no, smaller. …About this big?”

Asmodel fussed with his blanket, then struggled to squat down and pointed near the floor. His appearance was both cute and pitiful, so I smiled wryly.

“Okay, I get it. You don’t have to point out the exact size. You’ve grown a lot. When did you start talking? Just now too?”

Anxious, I asked, and he nodded without fail. Seeing his docile reaction, I couldn’t help but sigh. Why did I fall asleep? I only closed my eyes for a moment, but he hatched in the meantime. I missed his birth and his most baby-like moments.

If I had known he would grow this fast, I would have kept a tighter grip on my sanity. I felt even more sorry when I thought about how anxious the abandoned child must have been on his own during that time. A wave of regret washed over me, knowing I would lament this missed time for a long time to come.

“I’m sorry I was so careless. Were you upset that no one was there when you hatched?”

“No one…? Godfather was there.”

“But I was asleep. Weren’t you scared being alone in the dark?”

At my worried question, Asmodel tilted his head and slowly shook it.

“Darkness is good. Not scary.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, and… I heard Godfather’s breathing. It was very comforting.”

A faint smile appeared on his face as he stared straight at me. The change that small action caused was astonishing. The sharp eyes that had made him look somewhat cold softened in an instant, making him look incredibly lovely.

It was a smile that disarmed people instantly. It was the first time I had seen a face so drastically different when smiling and not smiling. No wonder a Demon God had taken notice of him; even as a little kid, his innate aura was extraordinary. Is this what they mean by fearing for someone’s future? Of course, it wasn’t an appropriate assessment for a newborn.

“Godfather…?”

“Ah, yes!”

At the questioning voice, I immediately shook off the useless thoughts in my head. Anyway, I couldn’t help but feel good that he was cuter than expected. I lightly stroked his head, and Asmodel smiled faintly again. Compared to his overall dazed appearance, he had more expressions than I thought. The slow speech and somewhat languid feeling seemed to be just because he hadn’t adapted to the world yet, not his innate nature.

“Is Godfather the Water Spirit King?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Elquines.”

“El… qui?”

His eyes blinked slowly. He seemed flustered, as if the name I told him didn’t quite register. Come to think of it, he said his own name was long and difficult too. I belatedly remembered and added with a smile.

“Just call me El. That’s my nickname.”

“Nickname…?”

“It’s like a friendly alias. Isn’t that easier to pronounce?”

Asmodel, who had been blinking, nodded. He seemed to like it quite a bit, looking shy, so I chuckled and stroked his head again.

“By the way, how did you know I was your Godfather? Come to think of it, you already knew your name too, right?”

“Um, I heard it.”

“Heard it? From whom?”

“A subordinate.”

“A subordinate? Are you talking about Deron? Did he come and go?”

“No. Not now. In the past?”

“In the past… Ah, do you mean you heard it while you were in the egg?”

Surprisingly, he nodded again. I remembered Deron diligently carrying the egg around, saying he had to provide prenatal education. I wondered why he was going so far, but it seemed it wasn’t a futile attempt after all. Come to think of it, I had heard that they could hear the sounds around them around this time. But I thought it only affected their subconscious, not that they would understand and remember it so clearly. Well, I heard that human children still have memories from the womb for a few years, so it might be natural for Asmodel, who was just born, to remember.

“So you really could hear everything. Is there anything else you remember besides the name? How much do you remember?”

Curious, I asked, and Asmodel blinked his red eyes slowly and hesitated. Perhaps because he wasn’t used to speaking yet, it seemed difficult to put what he was thinking into words. After opening and closing his mouth for a while, the child answered in a slow tone.

“Um, the subordinate said he would take care of me? And that the human realm is too peaceful, boring… that he’s looking forward to the war… And that I have to go to the Demon World? So, I went. Ah, and… Godfather was angry because he was pregnant.”

“…Um. I think I understand what you mean. Thanks for explaining.”

“…Yes…”

It seemed to have been really difficult, as a long sigh escaped from his slightly open mouth. It couldn’t be called eloquent, but it was the most he had spoken since the conversation started. It must have been a difficult process for a child who had just learned to speak. Anyway, just from what I heard now, it seemed he knew more than I thought. …It would have been better if he didn’t know about the last situation.

‘I wonder if he remembers what happened in the Demon World.’

If he remembered the fact that he had been there, he would also know what he had experienced inside. I tentatively brought it up, and as expected, a positive response came back. Asmodel nodded his head once with a large motion and muttered.

“When I went, Zak was already badly hurt. Couldn’t save him.”

“…Did the Demon King do it?”

“Yes.”

“Why would the Demon King target the Duke of the North…?”

“That guy, seal on him. Needs Demon God’s essence. But subordinate took it. Demon King failed. Can’t move for a while.”

In other words, the Demon King’s power was sealed, and he was after the blood of the Duke of the North, who could create the essence, to break it. I swallowed the bitter feeling as the overall situation seemed to be drawn. If it was a powerful seal that required the essence of a Demon God to use, it was likely that Kanos had placed it. Judging by the fact that his power was sealed, the situation was clearly bad, but I was bothered that he hadn’t been completely eliminated and was just left alone. Was he just not a big deal enough to not kill? Or… was it impossible to kill him?

Fortunately, it seemed that his resistance itself had ended in failure thanks to Deron taking over his position. I didn’t know what would happen in the future, but since he couldn’t move for a while, nothing would happen right away. In the meantime, I had to find out about the situation in the Divine Realm somehow.

“Thank you, Asmodel. You’ve helped me sort things out a lot. Deron looked too distressed, so I couldn’t bring myself to ask him.”

“Was I helpful?”

“Yes, really helpful.”

As I smiled and nodded, Asmodel’s expression brightened.

“Zak gave me my name. Before he died.”

“I see.”

I had vaguely thought that might be the case. Deron’s expression when he asked me to name him that was too solemn and sad. As if conveying someone’s last words. That’s probably why I nodded without hesitation.

“Asmodel, it’s a beautiful name. It suits you well.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, really.”

His white cheeks turned as red as ripe apples. He honestly expressed his shyness, and even I felt my heart warming as I watched him.

“Happy. I like my name now too.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes, but, I was also looking forward to Godfather giving me a name.”

“Huh? A name I give you?”

“Names, family gives them. Godfather and I, we’re family, right?”

…Could it be that an angel was born instead of a demon? I don’t remember Deron’s prenatal education method being particularly beautiful, but I don’t know where he learned such pretty words. Speechless for a moment due to the touching feeling, I hugged Asmodel and stroked his head wildly.

“Then shall we do this? I’ll give you a nickname.”

“Nickname…?”

“Yes, a nickname. You remember what that is, right? An alias that shortens your real name.”

“Like El?”

“Yes, like El. That way, you’ll have both the name Zak gave you and the name I gave you, right?”

“Amazing. I want a nickname.”

His large, red eyes sparkled instantly. It wasn’t intentional, but he knew how to get what he wanted very well. Seeing his face full of excitement, I even felt a sense of duty to meet his expectations.

“Okay, then from now on, you’re As.”

“As.”

“Asmodel, so I took the first letter and made it As. Um, is it too simple?”

“No.”

I wondered if he was disappointed, but Asmodel shook his head immediately. It seemed to be the fastest of all the movements I had seen so far.

“I really like it. Thank you, Godfather.”

The child, who had bloomed like a flower, jumped into my arms and hugged me. I couldn’t help but smile at the childlike, lovely expression of affection. He was pretty and his actions were pretty, so there was no way I could hate him. He’s so cute now, I wonder how pretty he was when he was just born. He must have been the prettiest baby in the world. There would have been no angel like him.

I should have stayed awake and watched him hatch. Unable to stop the futile regret from hitting my chest again, I hugged Asmodel, As, tightly in my arms.

“Please take care of me, As.”

* * *

As soon as the morning sun rose, I barged into the tent where the group was staying. Once the full day started, they would be busy, so I wanted to introduce As to everyone before that. I found some suitable clothes for As, who had only been wearing a blanket until then. Fortunately, there were spare clothes that Isana used to wear in the subspace bag I usually carried around. There was a difference in body shape, so it was loose, but it wasn’t too bad to wear temporarily. I was planning to stop by a village later to get clothes that fit.

“Good morning! I have amazing news! Everyone, get up!”

With a lively greeting, I opened the door and entered, and the group who had been lying down got up groggily. Starting with Lapis on the far left bedding, then Sibelius in the middle, and finally Alisa, who occupied the right corner. It was as if they had set a turn to wake up.

“What’s all the commotion from the crack of dawn?”

Lapis frowned, as if angry at being disturbed from his sweet sleep. Considering that, he didn’t look sleepy at all. His eyes were clear, he didn’t look sleepy, and not a single strand of hair was out of place. Sibelius also had a fine face. Only Alisa, who woke up last, was drowsy and couldn’t come to her senses.

“El? Haaahm, what is it? Aren’t you waking us up too early?”

“Sorry, Alisa. I have an important announcement.”

“Ugh, important announcement? Is the enemy attacking?”

“No, there’s someone I want to introduce.”

“Introduce?”

“I think I know what it is. Is he already born?”

Quick-witted Lapis immediately got to the point. Only then did Sibelius and Alisa realize the situation and widen their eyes.

“Oh? Really? Did the egg hatch?”

“The baby?”

The gazes full of curiosity diligently searched my arms. They were trying to find a newborn baby. I smiled at them and led the child who was clinging to me from behind. When they found As, who appeared hesitantly, the group’s eyes widened even more.

“Could that child be…?”

“Yes, that’s right. Ta-da, this is As! Isn’t he so cute?”

“As?”

“I named him Asmodel. We decided to call him As for short.”

“Oh, I see. But the baby is more… a little bigger than I thought? I heard he grows fast, but I expected him to be four or five years old at most. He grows this fast?”

“I know. This is bigger than I expected?”

Next to Alisa, who was showing her shock, Sibelius muttered with a flustered face. Is this what a senior’s heart is like? Seeing the faces feeling the same confusion as I had a little while ago, I even felt a sense of pride.

“Okay, say hello to everyone, As. Do you know who everyone is?”

The child, who had been bravely enduring the piercing gazes, slowly nodded at those words. Then, the eyes of Lapis, who had been indifferent until then, sparkled.

“You know who they are?”

“Isn’t it amazing? I recognized them right away? It seems he remembers some of the things that happened before he hatched.”

“Hmm, really? Then who am I?”

At the provocative question, As answered without hesitation.

“Dragon Lapis.”

“Oh?”

“Was sick, helped me. Savior.”

“Hmph, not bad. He knows properly, doesn’t he?”

A satisfied expression appeared on his face as he muttered leisurely. Judging by the fact that he was praising him willingly without being sarcastic, it seemed to be a pretty pleasing answer.

“Do you know me too, perhaps?”

As soon as the situation was over, Alisa, with a very excited face, intervened this time. Until a little while ago, she was dying from sleepiness, but now she was as lively as a watered flower, as if she had found something fun. As didn’t seem to dislike it either, and his eyes were sparkling.

“…Alisa.”

“Kya! You really got it right! You’re really amazing! Then what about this person? Do you know this person’s name too?”

Alisa’s fingertip pointed to Sibelius, and As stared at him quietly. Compared to answering without hesitation until now, he had a slightly thoughtful expression this time. It was around the time that Sibelius made a nervous expression at the gaze that was staring intently.

“Blue Elf.”

“Puhaha!”

The source of the frivolous laughter was too obvious, so I won’t bother to reveal it. Sibelius’s bluish skin turned red in an instant.

“Damn it, who’s a Blue Elf? Why don’t you remember me by my name!”

“Aren’t you a Blue Elf?”

“If I had to distinguish, there’s an official name called Blue Elf, okay? Before that, I have a perfectly good name called Sibelius, you cheeky little demon brat!”